Faerie
by Anna Lisa Bradford
Summary: Nobody really minds having Yuma, their new member, hand around. Well, nobody, except Fujiko. But Yuma is making a special gift for Fujiko's birthday. Will the two finally call a truce between them? And what is Yuma's big secret?


Faerie

© Tiffany Swartz (a.k.a. Margarite Estella), 2004

Author's Note:

I have a tendency to play around with my original character's characteristics. To me, I could make Yuma a robot, a faerie, a sorceress, or anything of my choosing. This time, I chose to make her a faerie, which is something a lot more flexible. However, to keep things interesting, should I use this character set-up again, Yuma will not be able to solve all problems with magic. It would be rather boring if she could.

Hope You like the Fiction,

Margarite Estella

Yuma made no sound as she rose from her bed. It was midnight, and no one was working on a job lately, so everyone was asleep. Yuma grinned. The timing was perfect. Absolutely no one would know what she was up to, and she was free to do whatever she pleased, which was good, because Fujiko's birthday was coming up, and Yuma had her mind set on making the best birthday present out of all of them. She did not do this because Fujiko was her friend. The fact was that she and Fujiko had been having a little argument, as of late. Yuma didn't like the fact the Fujiko was so manipulative towards Lupin, and Fujiko didn't like it that Yuma stuck her nose in her business. This present was more so a peace offering to Fujiko to show that, even though the two were arguing, that Yuma didn't hate her, and had no intention of hurting her. It would also prove that Yuma was not competing for Fujiko's place in the Lupin Gang. Truth be told, Yuma only wanted Fujiko's acceptance, and she hoped, by making presenting this present, that Fujiko would understand that.

Yuma made her way to the most spacious room in the house: the kitchen. Once there, she made sure that no one was looking. Then, she removed her slippers, and turned in a complete circle, spreading her hands about as she did so, making a silver ring around herself. She took the hard-earned precious metals, stones, and jewels that she bought and brought them into the center of the ring. She looked around once more before she began to weave. After all, being a Faerie Princess could make one very vulnerable to any corrupt humans seeking to exploit her. Not that anyone in the Lupin Gang would do that, but how could she be sure? She couldn't take any chances …

Right around eight o' clock in the morning, Lupin yawned, and stepped out of bed. Normally, all he would be thinking about was getting his usual morning cup of coffee, but something was bothering him this morning. Somehow, the past two weeks had been different, rather disturbingly different. For one thing, the arguing among Fujiko and Yuma had come to an almost complete halt. Normally he wouldn't pay as much attention to such a thing, but the really interesting fact was that Yuma had either shrugged her shoulders or agreed with Fujiko, almost as if she were either accepting defeat, or just let it slide. Yuma was naturally high-strung, so this, in itself, was very strange.

The second thing that he'd noticed about Yuma was that she'd been sneaking out of her room at night, heading straight for the kitchen. Naturally, because she was a partner, he never really bothered to spy on her past that, but something very strange was going on. He would often hear her humming a sort of tune that he'd never heard the likes of before. It wasn't rock, it was nothing close to heavy metal. In fact, it was like nothing he'd ever heard of before. It was just an eerie melody that didn't quite fit into the human music types. He knew that she'd also turned on the evening kitchen lights so as not to disturb anyone, but there was a second light source that he'd seen, one that glowed a strange gold color. Though dimly lit, it was radiant.

Finally, she would sleep in 'til noon, which wasn't like Yuma at all. Something was definitely going on here. However, Lupin had decided to watch until he could figure out what was going wrong, or, at least, until Yuma started hurting herself, which he hoped wouldn't happen, because they'd already been through before. It had not been very fun for either him, or Yuma.

He sighed and wondered, 'Why would she keep her goings on such a secret? What could possibly be so damned important that she doesn't want us to see it?' He sat down at the kitchen table and thought, 'What if she's hurting herself again?' Lupin shook his head and decided to sleep on the matter, for the moment. If she hadn't told him already, then she certainly wasn't ready to tell him now. Therefore, he had no business asking. However, the thought that it might be something dangerous still lingered in his mind. He only hoped that, if that were the truth, he wouldn't have to force it out of her.

Fujiko stepped into the kitchen, wearing only Lupin's black silk shirt, and all thoughts of Yuma flew out of his head, and centered on the beautiful woman that he'd spent the night with. He gave her a wide grin, "Good morning, Fuji-chan!"

"Good morning, Lupin," she smiled back with her beautiful white teeth, saying in a very sexually provocative voice, "I trust I don't need to ask you how you slept?"

"Oh, definitely!" said Lupin cheerfully, "You were fantastic!"

She laughed, "I'm glad." She then gave him a rather pout-y look, and inquired, "So, when are you going to ask me what I want for my birthday?"

"Oh, damn!" he swore, "I forgot about that! Sorry, baby. So, what is it you want?"

"Hmm," she said, as she cutely put a finger to her lips and looked up, as if in thought. Then she said, "I know what I want!"

"What is it?" asked Lupin, "You know I'll get you anything."

"Anything?" she looked at him as if she were very interested in what he had to say.

"You bet!" said Lupin, "You name it, I'll get it for you. Now, what would you like?"

"I want the Star Sapphire," she looked him straight in the eye.

"The Star Sapphire!" asked Lupin, "Now, baby –"

Fujiko gave him her extra-pout-y look, "Lupin, I thought you said you'd get me whatever I wanted."

"Oh, alright," Lupin sighed, "You know that you've got me wrapped around your finger, don't you?"

"Yes," she gave him a little smile as she caressed the side of his face, "and it's very cute."

A little yawn was heard as Yuma made her way into the kitchen. Fujiko looked annoyed, but only just barely. Yuma did not speak one word to her as she fixed her breakfast, and after she was done making it, she left the kitchen, plate in hand, and walked out into the living room.

"Hey, Yuma-chan!" hollered Lupin, "Why are you going out into the living room to eat breakfast?"

"Because you two are obviously having a private conversation, and I don't want to get involved," she said crossly.

That was when Fujiko did get annoyed, "Do you go out of the way to pester me, or is it just instinct?"

"I'd have to say it's neither," said Yuma calmly, "I'm not trying to annoy anyone." With that, she went to said destination in the house.

"She has been so weird lately!" said Fujiko, "What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know, baby," sighed Lupin, "I don't think she's feeling well right at the moment."

"Why?" Fujiko looked concerned, "I mean, she can be a brat, but that doesn't mean I hate her."

Lupin sighed and began to explain, "Lately, she's been waking up at midnight and heading into the kitchen. I don't know what she does in there, but, sometimes, I see this strange glow. She thinks that nobody else knows, so I'd appreciate it if you'd keep it quiet. She might get upset if we don't."

"God, I hope she's not hurting herself," she said in a shocked, quiet voice, "That was so horrible! How she'd get up at midnight and just start cutting herself."

"Yeah, I know," said Lupin, "but we have to keep it quiet for now. I don't want her finding out that I've been spying on her, and another insecurity is the last thing she needs. She's just gotten back up on her feet." Lupin changed the subject, "Now, about that sapphire. Do you know where it is?"

"They're holding an auction tomorrow at noon," said Fujiko, "The building isn't too far from here."

"Alright," said Lupin gleefully, "this should be easy!"

Outside of the kitchen, Yuma could hear what was going on. The Star Sapphire! 'So that's where it went!' thought Yuma, 'If anyone finds out its true value, it would be a catastrophe! I've got to get it back!' She ran into the kitchen, "Whatever it is that you want the Star Sapphire for, I can't let you have it!"

"So you were spying on us!" said Fujiko angrily, "You're really nosy, you know?"

"It's not a matter of being nosy!" she could feel her thoughts, once concrete, being to spin in a flurry of all directions, and soon, she couldn't stop herself, "It's a family matter! The Star Sapphire was stolen from my family! It belongs to me! And not to mention – "

"What?" said Fujiko angrily. It was more of a statement than a question.

"You have no idea how much power that thing has! It's not just some rare jewel! It's an energy stone! If … if it got into the wrong hands, the results would be devastating!"

"All the more for reason for Lupin to steal it," said Fujiko, giving Yuma a small smile, "That way nothing bad would happen."

"You can only think of yourself, can't you?" Yuma started crying, "You have no idea what the effects will be! Fine! Steal the jewel! See if I care! Just don't come crying to me when you're both blown up!" With those words, Yuma ran out of the kitchen.

'Let them have their way!' she thought to herself, 'Why should I care?' But deep inside, Yuma did care. The reality was, that, no matter how much she denied it, she liked Fujiko. Fujiko was smart, beautiful, and she had a lot of courage, basically everything that Yuma did not. Every time that Fujiko walked down the street, the men would stare and the women would glare on with envy. Yuma would have liked for them to be friends, but it seemed as if it were impossible now. Hell, she didn't even know if Fujiko would appreciate the gift that she was making. With the tears still rolling down her face, she ran into her room and locked the door.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Fujiko and Lupin were still discussing the gem in question.

"Maybe I was a little too rash with her," said Fujiko.

"Well, now that we know what kind of power the Star Sapphire has, we definitely need to steal it," said Lupin, "because if that gem has as much power as Yuma says it does, then we need to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. Who knows how dangerous it could be?"

"I guess you're right," said Fujiko, "but that still doesn't excuse the fact that she was spying on us."

"She probably heard about the stone in question, and decided that the information was important."

"Well, I guess I should go apologize," said Fujiko, getting up. She walked out of the kitchen and up to Yuma's bedroom door. "Yuma?" she asked, "Yuma, I need to talk to you."

"About what?" the person in question answered rather angrily, "You'll get what you wanted. There's no way I can stop Lupin from stealing it, after all!"

"Yuma, there's been a change of plans," said Fujiko, "Please, open the –"

"Look! Just go away! I don't want to talk to you right now! And no, I don't care if I'm acting childish!"

Fujiko sighed, "Alright. But we're going to talk about this later, whether you like it or not." This time, there was no reply. She could only hear the soft sounds of Yuma's crying. "Well, that went well," Fujiko muttered angrily under her breath, "God damn it, why doesn't she just listen to me?"

Later on in the day, Lupin saw Yuma sitting at the kitchen table. He sat down beside her and asked softly, "What was that about?"

"What?"

Gently, he put a hand on her shoulder and turned her so that she was looking at him, "What made you so upset?"

"I try not to get in her way, you know," said Yuma, "She just doesn't like me. That's why she's mad at me all the time."

"I see that," said Lupin, "at least, concerning the first part. You would be surprised, though. But Fujiko doesn't hate you, Yuma. I know that you get on each other's nerves, but if Fujiko really hated you, it would be a lot worse than this. Trust me."

"Why does Fujiko want the Star Sapphire, anyway?"

"Fujiko likes expensive, valuable things, especially if it's something that will add more allure to her collection, clothing, or jewelry. She has an eye for beauty."

"But this beauty that she's after is deadly," said Yuma, "It could kill her."

"Yuma?"

"Hmm?"

"Why do you care what Fujiko thinks about you?"

"Because I like her," Yuma stated simply, "She's a neat lady, and I would rather us be friends. But everything seems to clash."

"I wouldn't worry about it," said Lupin, "this'll blow over eventually."

Late that night, when everyone was asleep, Yuma got back to work. If Fujiko had her eye on the Star Sapphire, she would have to make something even more beautiful, something so precious and valuable that Fujiko couldn't live without it. She looked at her hands. They were already getting red from working with the metal and gemstones. Still, when she was finished, hopefully, it would be something that would outshine the Star Sapphire. Quietly, she pulled out a needle and some very flexible wire. She began to sew.

Lupin watched silently from the entry-way. He didn't know what Yuma was making, but he had an idea that it was to be Fujiko's birthday present. It had to be, with that many different precious stones, not to mention the metals. He didn't know what Yuma was making, but it sure looked beautiful. He had a feeling that, when this was all finished, it would be even lovelier to gaze upon than the Star Sapphire itself. Yuma, who was too wrapped up in her work to notice anything, did not see Lupin quietly slip into the kitchen. In complete silence, he crept up to her, and tapped her on the shoulder.

Yuma jumped, letting out a soft, but startled cry, "Who is it!"

"Don't worry," said Lupin in a quiet, reassuring voice, "it's just me." He sat down beside her, and motioned his hand toward her work, "Is this for Fujiko?" Yuma simply nodded. "It's very beautiful," he smiled, "I'm sure she'll like it." He heard a sniffle, and looked directly at her face. "What's wrong?" he put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's just … that … no one was supposed to know," she tried to keep the tears from coming out.

Lupin looked kindly at her and put an arm around her shoulder, hugging her, "It's okay, I won't tell."

"It wasn't just for Fujiko," she all but whispered in a semi-choked voice, "It was to prove that I could be useful, that I could be good at something. I wanted to surprise everybody."

"Well," he ran his hand over her long brown hair, "you've certainly surprised me. How did you make this?"

"I – what do you mean?"

"Every night," he explained, "at around 12:00, you get up and head to the kitchen. I've never looked directly inside until now, but I've always noticed one thing."

"What?" she asked, trembling, knowing what was coming.

"I have always seen a strange gold light when, in fact, there were no lights on at all," he said softly. He noticed her shivering, and held her a little tighter, "Don't worry," he said, "You can tell me anything. I won't tell. What power is it you have here to make something so beautiful? What lights the room when you work?"

"It's – " she stopped, "Please, don't tell anyone."

"What is it?"

"Do you believe in things that are unexplained?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you believe in things that can't be explained?" she asked, "Things that, in certain circumstances, couldn't ever be done, but have happened anyway?"

"No," he confessed, "not always, but, generally, I have a pretty open mind."

"Then you probably don't believe in magic," she said.

"Magic?" he inquired, "Are you trying to tell me that you're a witch? A sorceress, perhaps?"

"Neither," she said in a quiet, mousy voice, "I'm a faerie."

Lupin's eyes became wide, "A faerie? You mean, like the tiny kind with wings?"

"Yes and no," she sighed, "We come in all shapes and sizes. I do have wings, but I don't often use them. Not, anymore, at least. Our forests are being cut down. Nature is being destroyed, even as we speak. We are fewer in number than we used to be."

"Do you have any proof?" he asked in quiet disbelief.

"You have your proof," she said in a soft, angry voice, "Nobody would be able to make such gifts if they weren't a faerie."

"I see," he said, holding his chin in his palm, while positioning his elbow on his knee, letting what had just been said sink in. After a minute, he asked, "What about the natural reserves? There's protected forests all over the place."

"I …" she stopped for a moment, "I want to stay with you."

Lupin looked at her, a little more than slightly shocked, "Why?"

"I like you," she said, her voice returning to that mousy, little tone, "all of you. I want to stay with you. I don't want to leave. You're my friends." She stopped for a moment, then, her voice barely above a whisper, "I'll do anything to stay. That's why I'm trying so hard to become a good thief. I want to be important … important enough to be seen as a partner, someone useful."

"I see," said Lupin, thinking for a moment. Then, he said, "Yuma, do you like your job?"

"What?"

"Do you like what you do?" he explained, "Do you enjoy being a thief?"

"Yes," she said, "I like it very much."

"Why?"

"Because it allows me to be me," she said, looking down, "It's like a game I play. Granted, I am serious about my job, but I like to play. That's how we faeries are. We like to play around. Yes, we are serious about some of the more important things we do, but, mostly, we're playful. We like to laugh, sing, smile, make love … everything that brings joy into a person's life we enjoy it to the fullest."

"And that's the way it should be," he smiled at her, wiping away the tears in her eyes, "Love what you do, otherwise, you'll be miserable for the rest of your life, no matter how much money you make."

"Just don't tell Fujiko," her breathing began to become more regular.

"About what?" he asked.

"The present, and … what I am," she said nervously, looking up at him with her big blue eyes, "Okay?"

"Deal," he said, his smile turning into a grin. She smiled back at him. "Yuma?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't work too late, okay?" he said, "It's not good for your health."

"Don't worry about me," she said, smiling, "I'll be fine. There's not much left to do." Lupin nodded, and headed off to bed.

Three days had passed since Lupin and Yuma had discussed Fujiko's birthday present, and Yuma was nervous. Would she like it? Would the colors go well? Was Fujiko still angry? Yuma started fidgeting. Still, all in all, it was pretty, and Fujiko liked beautiful, valuable things. Yuma calmed herself. Fujiko was sure to like it.

Lupin came out of the room, ready to take Fujiko and Yuma out to lunch. Fujiko looked at him, then Yuma. Personally, Fujiko was suspicious. Why would Lupin be bringing Yuma out to lunch with them? And why were the headed to the plaza? She knew that Jigen and Goemon didn't usually show up for her birthday, so she knew that they wouldn't be coming, and she wasn't a little girl anymore, so it couldn't be a birthday party. She smelled a rat somewhere, and she was determined to find out what it was. With a look of suspicion, Fujiko walked slowly into the room. "Alright, Lupin," she said, "what's going on?"

"You'll see," said Lupin smiling.

Yuma looked worried. The fear of rejection slowly began to bubble up in her chest once more. She was lucky that the presents had been stocked in the plaza suite.

"Well, this better be good," said Fujiko.

"Trust me," said Yuma irritably, "it'll be good. A lot of planning went into this."

"And how would you know that?" asked Fujiko, slightly peeved.

"You'll find out when we get there," Yuma retorted. Fujiko glared at Yuma and looked at Lupin, smiling.

"Did you remember my gift?" she asked.

Lupin grinned at her, "Yes."

"I knew you would," she kissed Lupin on the cheek, "but why are we bringing Yuma?"

"You'll see," grinned Lupin, "Don't worry. We'll have a private dinner sometime tonight."

"Hmm," she said, kissing him again. He laughed and continued driving.

Once they were at the Plaza, the three of them went up to the main suite.

"No!" said Fujiko, "Lupin, you know as well as I do that I like make it a little more interesting from time to time, but I am not sleeping with her!"

"It's nothing like that," said Yuma quietly.

"Then, by all means, tell me what it is," said Fujiko impatiently, "I'm getting really annoyed."

"Now, now, Fuji-cakes," said Lupin, "I know you two haven't really been getting along, but there's a reason why she's here, so, both of you, please try to be civil towards one another. I wasn't the only one who was thinking of you on your birth-day."

Fujiko looked surprised, "What do you mean by that?"

"Look around," Lupin motioned his hand around the room, "you'll see. But first, let me give you mine." Putting his hand in his pocket, he took out a medium-sized box, "Hope you like it."

Yuma watched on as Fujiko opened the gift. "Oh, Lupin!" she cried, "It's perfect! Just what I wanted!" Yuma took a look. It was a large sapphire. She looked at Lupin, but, instead of acting upset, she said nothing and just watched, her chest tightening, somewhat. Fujiko looked over at Yuma and said in a calm interested voice, "Lupin told me that you may have bought something for me as well. I'd appreciate it if you'd show me."

Yuma looked at the floor, "It's nothing much. Just something I've made. I hope you like it."

Fujiko looked at Yuma curiously. She'd never known that Yuma was in the arts. "Hmm," she thought aloud. Picking up the first box, she began to open it.

"I've got to go now," said Yuma quickly, running for the bathroom door, "I'll be back in a moment."

Fujiko looked at the door, "She's certainly acting strange. What's wrong with her?" Fujiko's voice held a note of concern.

"I don't really know," said Lupin, "but she'll be out here soon. She spent a long time on this project, and she wouldn't want to miss you opening it."

"How long did it take?" asked Fujiko.

"I don't know," said Lupin, "probably sometime over a month. It's been a little stressful on her."

"I didn't expect her to get anything for me," said Fujiko softly in a contemplating tone, "much less make anything for me. I didn't know that she was an artist."

"Trust me, she's a very good craftsman," said Lupin, "but that wasn't the only reason why I brought you two here. Give her a second. She'll be here."

After a few minutes, Yuma emerged from the bathroom. Her eyes were a little red, and her face was damp from where she'd washed it, her hair being slightly damp as well.

"Okay, I'm fine now," she said in as normal a voice as possible.

"Alright," said Lupin, "I guess I'll just leave you two in for a moment." With that, Lupin swiftly walked out of the room and shut the door, locking it from the outside.

"Lupin!" Fujiko yelled, "You'd better open up this door right now!" She heard a laugh, and she yelled louder, "I mean it!" She looked angrily over at Yuma and started, "What – " She stopped. Yuma was hugging her knees to her chest.

"If you don't want them, you can sell them," she said softly.

"What?"

"What I made," she replied, "It may not be pretty, but the metals and jewels that they're made from should sell for high-dollar. I realize you hate me, but I would appreciate it if you didn't yell so much. I spent hours working on it, and I don't want it to go to waste. I had to do some pretty sneaky things to get the sizes right so it would fit you perfectly. Please, at least, take a look." She started crying softly, "It wouldn't be too much to ask."

"Yuma!" said Fujiko softly, surprised at what Yuma had said, "I don't – "

"Please," Yuma cut her off, "At least open them. It's not like they're tacky or perverted or anything."

"Alright," said Fujiko quietly, still somewhat stunned by what Yuma had said. She looked at the young woman in front of her. Yuma hadn't even looked up, and there were tears rolling down her face.

"You know, I didn't mean to get in the way," her voiced choked up a little, "All I wanted was to stay with you … all of you. Before I met you, I was all alone. I didn't have anywhere to go. I didn't mean to butt into your life the way I did, but I wanted so much to belong somewhere. I never meant to push you aside. I was just lonely. I'm sorry." She stopped.

Fujiko looked at her, and said softly, "Alright." She walked up to the table which held a series of boxes wrapped in shiny, scarlet paper, with broad, silk wine-red ribbon. She carefully un-wrapped the first gift. It was a particularly small, considering the sizes of all the boxes on the table. Opening the box, she found an object wrapped up in white tissue paper bearing little silver swirls. Carefully un-wrapping it, she found a pair of silk white underwear, but not the type that one would hide under clothing. It looked more like a bikini bottom. Its waistband was scoop-style. It had two gold circlets at the sides, connecting the fabric together. Obviously, these were meant to be seen.

Fujiko looked over at Yuma, who peeped up for a moment, then put her head back down, saying quietly, "Don't worry. It's not just underwear. Those are just for covering up."

"It's okay," said Fujiko in a strangely soothing voice, "I'm not mad." Carefully putting the silk bikini bottom back in its box, she folded up the tissue paper and put it aside, going to the next gift. The box was slightly heavier, so she had to be careful. Walking up to Yuma, she sat down beside her and began opening up the second gift. She asked Yuma, "What's this one?"

Yuma looked up into Fujiko's soft brown eyes with her large blue ones, "Open it. It's a surprise."

Fujiko gave Yuma a curious look, and continued to open the package. This particular one had an inner wrapping not of silver-white tissue paper, but ermine fur. Fujiko looked at Yuma in disbelief, "Where did you get this? You didn't go on a job alone, did you?"

"Please, un-wrap it," Yuma's voice remained soft and shy, "The fur's only part of the packaging."

Fujiko nodded and continued to un-wrap the box. Inside was a mass of silver strands, each which had been woven into their own separate braids. She pulled it up further, and realized it was a skirt of some kind. Much like a hula-skirt, the braids weren't woven together to make a mass of material. Instead, they were lined up so that they would cover the legs, but were braided and woven into single strands that would part if the legs were too much out-ward, and would fall back into place if a person were to stand still. However, unlike a hula skirt, the braids were put in an even order. On each woven cord, there were a line of jewels woven into it, going from jewel to silver to jewel in intervals. Each was a beautiful pastel color, each relatively the same size, but in different shapes. "Where did you get this?" asked Fujiko, shocked.

"I made it," said Yuma, "It's okay if you don't like it."

"Oh, no!" said Fujiko, astounded, "I love it! But really, Yuma, where did you get this? I wasn't aware that you were into the arts, much less metallurgy."

"I … I know a lot of things," she said shyly.

"Well, why don't you sell any of this online or at the black market?" she asked, "You could make a lot of money off of it, you know."

Yuma looked at her solemnly, "Where I come from, these things are made differently than they're made here. The process is considered sacred. We only make these kinds of things for special occasions, or for friends or people we hold to be important. To mass produce it would be wrong."

"I didn't know that," said Fujiko, "Why would it be wrong?"

"Like I said," said Yuma quietly, "The process is sacred. There are certain rituals are used in the making of these, sacred rituals. The things you see here are not products. They are hand-made gifts. They are never for sale."

"Sorry," Fujiko apologized, "I didn't know."

"It's okay," said Yuma, "You were only curious." Fujiko nodded and brought the second gift over to where the two were sitting.

This box, too, was a little heavier. She put it down, and opened the box. Again, the gift was wrapped in fur, but, this time, the fur was black. She pulled the fur aside, and, there, right before her very eyes was shiny, gold bra top. She gasped, and pulled it out of the package. She couldn't help but smile. Yuma had to have paid a fortune's worth of gold to make this. Either that or she used some of the gold that was given to her on the last job. How expensive this must have been! She pulled it out of the box, and marveled at how light it was. She would have to ask Yuma about it later.

The bra was definitely a thing of beauty. It's straps were made of gold and jewels, much like the skirt was made from silver and precious stones, only the jewels were much smaller. On the inside of the cups was a lining of short, soft white fur. On the outside, it was a spectacular work of art. Each cup had a winged faerie engraved upon its center. At the outer sides, there were unicorns rearing above the faeries, gleaming in grand magnificence. On the inner sides, there were European dragons, beautiful creatures, glowing and spindling upward over the faeries, meeting the unicorns at the head. In the center, connecting the cups, a small, circular gold plate held the image of a phoenix. But what was most beautiful about it was the coloring that had gone into it. Dragons were filled in with emerald and jade, their eyes filled in with white diamonds. The faeries had ruby hair and beautiful green eyes. Their skin was colored in with carefully peach-dyed ivory. Their finger nails were made of pink pearl, as were their lips. The unicorns were colored in with aquamarines, while their horns were ivory, and their hooves were filled in with silver. Their eyes were filled in with moon stone. The phoenix, of course, was filled in with bright red rubies, its eyes and feathers mingling with the gold. Fujiko turned it around. The cords connecting at the back of the bra were silky smooth, like glass. She would never get a rash from this. She looked at Yuma, and asked in a warmer voice, "And I suppose there's more than this?" Yuma nodded. Fujiko smiled and laughed, "Well, I'll tell this: I didn't expect anything like this for my birthday." Yuma looked up a little more, curious. As Fujiko got up, Yuma followed suit and brought the rest of the presents down to the floor where the two had been sitting. Package after package followed. Three sets of bracelets, one of them platinum wrist cuff with rubies; the second were snakes, each wrapping around the wrist until they met, and would have been over-lapping, had not the snakes gone in a spiraling position; third were the wrist to finger bracelets. These had rings matched for each finger save the thumb, and a ring for the wrist as well, with tiny blue gems studding the little chains that went from wrist to rings. There were also beautiful silver anklets, also studded with jewels. The foot-wear was delicate: a set of pumps with gold heals, a silver plated, titanium sole, and strands of silver chains with diamonds to hold the foot in. For a necklace, there was a choker of diamonds, its pendant swinging down from a chain which went down in the middle a cameo. There was a head dress which was made out of gem-beads, all of them pastels. Delicate, separate strands fell from the top of the circle, each filled with gems and silver. Finally, there was a hair ornament that would be used as a ponytail holder, except that it was a solid white opal, and had to be opened to put the hair in.

Once this was finished, Fujiko looked over at Yuma, who'd become a little braver. "Thank you," Fujiko said softly, I really appreciated this." Yuma looked up into Fujiko's eyes, and Fujiko drew some of Yuma's rich, golden brown hair back, kissing her temple, "I could not have asked for more."

Yuma smiled shyly, looked down, and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "You're welcome," she said.

"But there's one thing I have to ask," Fujiko looked at Yuma with curiosity, "Why are the metals so light? Were they plated?"

"No," said Yuma, "those are real."

"But how?"

"That's a secret that you'll learn later," said Yuma, "Right now, I'm not ready to tell you. However, if you rub it, you'll still find that it's gold, and that the silver is real, too."

Not wanting to upset Yuma, Fujiko said, "We're going to need to re-pack these. Otherwise, we won't be able to get them back to the car."

"How are we even going to get out of the room?" asked Yuma.

"Oh, don't worry," Fujiko gave Yuma a mischievous grin, "I know just the thing." She knocked on the door, "Lupin, honey, if you don't unlock this door, I'm going to start taking my clothes off, and I'm calling the bell-boy. You wouldn't want that to happen, would you?"

The Lupin immediately opened the door, his sentence beginning, "Absolutely not!" However, he didn't get very far.

"Everything's fine now," said Fujiko, "Now, if you don't mind, please help us with the packaging." Lupin called up the bell-boy, and soon, they were out of the suite, and all of the gifts were loaded into to car.

Outside, the stars were twinkling, and the moon shone like a silver coin. Lupin had set up the circumstances perfectly: he wore a black tux, there was red wine on the table, and he'd ordered Fujiko's favorite food, also playing some very romantic instrumental music.

As Fujiko emerged from the door, all Lupin could do was stare. Could this be what Yuma made? It had to be. He recognized the strands that made up Fujiko's skirt, the same strands that Yuma had been working on three nights ago. Yuma had outdone herself. Fujiko looked absolutely luscious.

"Hello, Lupin," Fujiko said in a rather seductive voice.

Lupin grinned, got up, and led Fujiko to her chair, pushing it in as she sat down. Tonight was going to be perfect.

Yuma woke up to a fresh morning. It had been one week since Fujiko's birthday, and Yuma was feeling much better. After all, why shouldn't she? Fujiko was treating her rather well, and they were getting along as if nothing had happened. However, one thing upset her. Lupin had given Fujiko the Star Sapphire. This naturally made her panicky whenever the subject was broached. Why the hell did Lupin need that sapphire? He could've given Fujiko anything in the world, but no. He had to give her the one thing that was liable to kill all of them. She sighed and went into the kitchen, grabbing a bowl of hot ramen.

"What's wrong, Yuma?" asked Fujiko.

"I … it's nothing," said Yuma quietly.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," said Fujiko, "Something's definitely bothering you. Come on, what is it?"

Yuma took a very long, deep breath, and exhaled slowly, "Fujiko, we need to talk. Lupin? Could you please leave the kitchen for a moment?"

"Are you sure?" asked Lupin.

"Yes," said Yuma calmly, "Fujiko and I need to talk about this alone. It's sort of personal." Lupin nodded slowly, knowing that something was up, but didn't say anything. Instead, he did as she asked him and left the kitchen for them to talk.

"Okay," said Fujiko, "What is it?"

"Th-the … sapphire," said Yuma quietly.

"Ah, that," said Fujiko, "I thought that was over with."

"Fujiko," she said even more softly, "it's not that I don't want you to have it. Under any other circumstances, I would have given it to you gladly. But you need to know that that gem carries extraordinary power."

"How much?"

"Trust me," said Yuma, "More than you like to handle. Fujiko," she continued, "this gem is no ordinary stone. There have been wars over this."

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble, Yuma," said Fujiko, slightly irritated, "but I have never heard of any wars started over the Star Sapphire."

"Maybe not in your world," Yuma murmured.

"My world?" asked Fujiko, laughing a little, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm … not human." That was it. She said it. Now it all depended on Fujiko's reaction.

"Not human?" asked Fujiko in disbelief, "Do you mean to tell me that you're some kind of alien?"

Yuma's voice rose to a medium volume, angry, "This is not something to be taken lightly, Fujiko!"

Fujiko also became angry, "If you'd quit being so vague, maybe we could get past this. Why is it so important that I not have the Star Sapphire?"

"BECAUSE IT'S A FAERIE GEM!" The room grew silent for a moment.

"What did you just say?" asked Fujiko, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"You heard me," said Yuma in a soft, angry voice, "I'm not normal. I'm a faerie."

"But Yuma, faeries don't exist," said Fujiko, "They're children's fantasies."

Yuma grew angrier, and a soft, golden glow started to radiate from her being. Her eyes flashed, and, in what looked like a very slow, painful process, Yuma's shirt and bra fell away from her, fluttering to the tiled floor, and wings began to sprout from her body, gossamer wings that shined, with tiny multi-colored veins. Yuma's pants and all other clothing fell away to reveal a beautiful, petite body that radiated with a soft, lush brilliance. She rose above the floor and her wings spread out. Even her beautiful brown hair seemed to give off a sort of ethereal glow, as if she were an angel. Her ears took on a slight point, and her skin took on a heavenly appeal to it. She looked so delicate, as if made of glass.

"Oh my God!" said Fujiko softly, stunned, "Yuma, what happened to you?"

"I've always been this way," said Yuma, still somewhat angry, and more than a little afraid, "I was born into the royal family of Maeve, the Irish faerie queen. I never grew to know her, however, because she slipped back into her coma after giving birth to me." She looked at Fujiko, all defenses up, scared and angry, "I suppose you're going to tell the local freak-show now, aren't you?"

"What makes you think-" Fujiko started out angry, but stopped short. This was Yuma, bare to the world and vulnerable. She'd hidden herself from the world around her, and with good reason. She was scared; scared that someone would find out; scared that she would be taken away; scared that she would be locked away in some dark tent so that people could stare in shock and awe over such a rare creature. If someone were to take her away, chances were, she'd spend the rest of her life in chains. From what little Fujiko knew, the fey were wild. They couldn't last long in captivity. She'd heard in fairy tales that, once the faerie in question was caught, it would only take a month, at most, to wither away and die, all because of their own sadness. A faerie's health reflected on how she actually felt, emotionally. Fujiko knew that, she, herself, was no angel. She had exploited many men and women in her time. Yuma was just coming to trust her, and now she was afraid that Fujiko would betray her and sell her for money. After all, she was a very rare species, one that, up until now, Fujiko had no idea existed. Of course she was afraid. And besides that, knowing that she, Yuma, had such power, people would be coming all over for herto solve all their problems with magic or some other such, until Yuma was eventually worn out. She would be a slave to a human master. And Fujiko just couldn't let that happen. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" asked Fujiko, soothingly, "I'm not going to hurt you. Yuma, how could you possibly think that I would sell you off, or give you away?"

"Other people have tried," said Yuma, becoming smaller and smaller by the second, until finally, she was small enough to fit in the palm of Fujiko's hand.

"How do you become so small without hurting yourself?" asked Fujiko, over-come by curiosity.

"I wasn't born this small, but I'm able to become any size I like," said Yuma, fluttering up to the kitchen counter, and, finally, above the oven burner's over-light, out of Fujiko's reach.

"Yuma," said Fujiko in a soft, calm voice, "you can come down from there, I'm not going to hurt you."

"How do you think I made all those things for you?" asked Yuma, "It wasn't by accident that the gold and silver are so light. I … I just hoped that if I made something … pretty enough, that you would take that over the Star Sapphire. If I could, I would let you have the sapphire, but I can't. Once the energies from that thing are unleashed, they're very hard to control."

Fujiko thought for a moment. Finally, she asked, "How about I make a deal with you?"

"What … kind of deal?" asked Yuma, her curiosity over-coming her fear, as she fluttered down to the table-top.

"Is there a way to transfer the energy into another object, like, say, a crystal?" Fujiko inquired.

"Well," said Yuma, looking at the floor with the face of an uncertain child, "I suppose we could. After all, the energy, itself, comes from the Earth. I guess it could be transferred back, given the right … " Yuma searched for the word, finally finding it, "… components."

"Then why don't we do that?" asked Fujiko, smiling at her, "After all, it's really pretty, and I would hate to give it up."

Yuma looked up at Fujiko's face and smiled, shyly, "Okay."

"Alright," said Fujiko, "So it's a deal. Now, how about you change back to your human body and get your clothes back on. I think I know of a good place to do this."

"Is it in a forest?" asked Yuma, excited.

"Yes, why?" asked Fujiko.

"It's been a while since I've been in a real forest," said Yuma, "It would be nice to go to a place with trees. And lots of sun. I like places like that … with nice fresh air."

"Sounds to me like you need to get out of town for a while."

"Maybe," said Yuma with an impish grin, "but I like this place. And I like hanging around you."

"Me?" asked Fujiko, uncertain.

"Not just you, personally," explained Yuma, "The reason why I haven't goon back is because I like you guys. I would really love to stay with you."

"I don't see why not," said Lupin, from the doorway. Yuma's head spun in the direction of the kitchen entrance. There stood Jigen, Goemon, and, of course, Lupin, each having seen and heard every word of the conversation that Yuma and Fujiko just had. She looked frantic. Immediately, she zipped up through the air, and into a cupboard, slamming the door shut. Lupin walked over to the cupboard door and tried to open it, but to no avail. "Yuma?" he asked worried, "Are you okay? Its alright, you know. You have no reason to be afraid."

"Stay out!" said a tiny voice from the cupboard.

"Yuma, nobody's going to hurt you," said Lupin soothingly, "Really."

"Then why are they standing there!" she said. Lupin grabbed hold of the handle and opened the door. "Go away!" she squeaked, as he gently pulled her out of the cupboard, trapping her in both his hands just enough so that she couldn't crawl out.

"Yuma, I –"

"You promised you wouldn't tell!" she said, her voice sounding oddly high-pitched, as she yelled from her tiny mouth, "You promised!"

"Nothing bad's gonna' happen, Yuma," said Lupin, as he looked at her, "Seriously! Now will you just calm down? Honestly, the reason why they're hear is because we all heard a commotion from the kitchen, and we were preparing to pull the two of you apart, in case you had a cat-fight. We didn't want anyone to get hurt!" Yuma looked angrily at him for a moment, then listened as he asked, "Now will you please calm down?"

"Calm down?" asked Yuma, still scared, but visibly growing more stable, saying in a small voice, "How do you expect me to calm down, when the whole world knows that I'm here, like this?"

"Not everybody knows," said Jigen, "you really have nothing to worry about."

"Your secret is safe here," said Goemon, "Please, Yuma, be reasonable. Nobody is going to harm you. It's actually quite the opposite. We are trying to protect you. You needn't run and hide like this."

"See?" said Lupin, opening his hands slightly. She looked at him and sighed. "Now if I open my hands, do you promise not to run away?" She nodded. "Okay." He opened up his fingers, bending them upward. She repositioned herself, sitting on one of her finger-tips as if it were a bar-stool. Lupin looked at her for a moment, marveling at how tiny she was. Then, it seemed as if he snapped back to reality, because he immediately said afterwards, "We need to get you some clothes."

Yuma giggled impishly, "What makes you think I'm going to need clothes? I mean, what kind of guy is going to have sex with a person that's only four inches tall?"

"I don't know," said Lupin laughing, "but you're going to catch cold if you stay like this for too long."

Yuma looked first at Jigen, then at Goemon. Jigen looked amused, while Goemon was blushing slightly. "How cute!" she mused looking at Goemon, who blushed an even deeper pink, in a low, quiet voice, "I am not cute."

"I'll get a wash-cloth," laughed Jigen. Yuma said nothing to this, but stretched out in Lupin's open hand, and then, laid down, curling up into a ball, and, shutting her eyes, commenced a nice cat-nap in the middle of Lupin's palm. Lupin, thinking that it was oddly funny, just laughed.

'It's so nice to be loved,' thought Yuma as she sighed drowsily, drifting off into a light slumber on account of the comfy warmth of Lupin's hand.

End,

For Now

Well, how'd you like it? Please read and review. Thank you!


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